As I looked out the window this morning and saw another ominous cloudy day, I thought to myself: good! We need the rain, and I need it maybe more than others.

Hi everyone! My name is Marc Girard. I am a masters of environmental management candidate at the University of New Brunswick and I am currently using the One Tree Orchard project as the recipient for a prototype framework to manage stormwater differently in Atlantic Canada. Rain is a pre-requisite for most life on land, it is a blessing and a resource that is prayed for in many parts of the world, but in Canada, it is often considered just a pain in the … And so, we typically manage rain with the objective to get it out of site, pronto. You may have seen your living area surrounded with drains and associated underground concrete tunnel complexes. Water that falls on our land is transported via these networks to the nearest water body or treatment plant (out of site, out of mind, out of our world).

The way in which we would like to change this system is by eliminating the need for concrete tunnels and manage stormwater with what Nature is giving us. Sure she might need a few tweaks for encouragement here and there, but essentially she should do. Typical examples include: substituting conventional roofs with vegetated roofs, modifying land grading to give water more time to infiltrate, lining the roads with depressions of natural vegetation that infiltrate and filter what pollutants are being washed off from them, etc. In the end, we want to mimic the pre-development flow of water to: prevent pollution of the aquifer and surface water bodies, prevent flooding or accelerated erosion, and allow water to recharge the aquifer at a natural rate.

There are a few major components to this project. First, techniques that are available to this property need to be compiled. Then those that are likely candidates to fulfill our vision need to be extracted and compiled. Following that exercise, a digital model of the property needs to be created. Then, like clay, it needs to be molded so that it mimics the different design layouts. This involves adding, removing, moving and shaping the different techniques around. Every time a new model is crafted, a series of simulations will be run to see how to the land reacts under different conditions. Among them a standard storm event, the spring freshet, or rain over a period of a year. When a given system appears to accomplish our goals, it is introduced with my [sweeeet] marker and cataloged. Finally, the results are compiled in an advisory format. This coming week my primary objective is to create the digital model of the property.

I am having a lot of fun, and I love water related issues, so if anyone wants to learn more about this process, talk about water issues, or just tell me something I don’t know, I am all ears. Until next time, have a lovely day!

-Marc

Your best teacher is your last mistake.
Ralph Nader

Hi Everyone! Here’s to a wonderful new year!There has been so much to feel grateful for this past year! The project has partnered with some truly fabulous and exciting people and organizations.  We are moving quickly forward in a very positive way! Hopefully all the difficulties that face our society we will serve as useful learnings to build a more stable way of life. It is important to look at these difficult changes as opportunities to make valuable changes rather than see only the pain of their transitions. Truly this year promises to be a very exciting and innovative time for New Brunswick and the One Tree Orchard. Lets take a look at the great things that have been accomplished in 2008: Looking back on 2008 we can see some amazing accomplishments! We have built a strong group of committed individuals and organizations to put together what will be a first of its kind in the Fredericton area and even the Maritimes!

Early last year the One Tree Orchard made its first partnership in the form of Daniel Savard (DENV). Daniel has been an inspiring and irreplaceable mentor to the OTO process. He has offered advice and countless hours of research, support and education to us. We could not have gotten this far without Daniels support. Shawn Dalton and the ESDRC have also been without question indispensable. Shawn has worked exceptionally hard for the OTO project. She and her students have provided countless hours of advice, assistance and support. From working out the logistics for the SCD training session to building relationships with other faculty and departments of UNB. Through the ESDRC we have started many UNB student colaborations. Miles Dibble, a masters student of Philosophy in Policy Studies, is creating a social policy study to determine what government policy changes will need to be addressed and what roadblocks we might encounter. He is also compiling data on what kinds of sustainability issues are most widely understood and valued in New Brunswick. Marc Girard, a student in the forestry and environmental management department, UNB, has recently joined us to undertake the creation of our stormwater management plan. He will be working in collaboration with Hydro-com Ltd. under the guidance of Hans Arisz a leader in stormwater management in Canada.

This summer, we successfully hosted a Sustainable Community Design Seminar for prospective OTO project partners. Now everyone who is currently involved in the process is trained to understand the  concept and language of sustainable community design.

This fall Vince Zelazny and Andre Levesque began a biological survey of the housing area. We are pleased to announce that they have recently completed this survey and that we are now prepared to begin the process of drawing initial plans of the housing area to be provided for discussion by the local service district.  As those of you who have attended Daniel Savard’s SCD training session may remember it is vital to map out designated conservation areas before designing the layout of a neighborhood. Andre Levesque has painstakingly created an excellent system of maps and overlays to demonstrate these conservation areas. After much field work he and Vince Zelazny have compiled a great collection of data which was recently presented as part of Andre’s course work at Moncton Community College. We now know which areas are more suitable for housing and which areas require protection. With this information we can proceed in safety knowing that our design is less likely to have a negative impact on our environment or cultural heritage. It has been a great privilege to work with both Vince Zelazny and Andre Leveque on this very important aspect of the project. In the near future, we will begin the process drawing plans for an initial concept for the neighbourhood layout. Working in parallel with this will be the Marc Girard/Hydro-com stormwater management plan creation process. The neighborhood plan and the stormwater management plan must marry perfectly. This integration is vital to a successful outcome. We are very excited to be working with both the folks at Hydro-com, who are leaders in stormwater management planning in New Brunswick and Marc Girard who has proved himself to be a very driven and innovative student.

An Invitation

If you are interested in being involved in the neighborhood design process we would love to have your input. The more input we can receive during this important stage the better equipped we will be to create a neighborhood that will truly meet the needs of its inhabitants. This process will begin in March.  There are many different ways that you could be involved depending on your availability and your skill set. We would very much like to open the invitation to you to involve yourself in this process as much as you are willing and able. Please forward any requests to alex(remove this spamfilter)@(remove this spamfilter)onetreeorchard.ca.

Thanks again and have a great year!!

On September 24th, a most thilling event took place at the Christ Church Cathedral hall in Fredericton NB! Twenty-three people with varying interests and areas of expertise came together for the ‘Sustainable Community Design’ training session hosted by Daniel Savard of the Department of Environment. This full day training session was presented free of charge to ‘One Tree Orchard’ project partners and supporters. The department of Environment had created a new style and design of subdivisions in response to the ‘Climate Change Action Plan’. The OTO project will be a showcase of this design. All 23 project partners gave up a full day to come and learn the specifics of this new and inovative design. Members from the dept of Environment, Dept of Health, UNB and private citizens came out to learn from Daniels expertise.

This training session could not have been possible without the support of many people and organisations. We would like to thank Daniel Savard and the Dept. of Environment for having hosted and subsidised this training session. Equally deserving of thanks is the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation for supplying training manual for this session free of charge. To Shawn Dalton, Stephanie Merrill and everyone at UNB’s Environment and Sustainable Development Research Centre, I would like to give a great thanks for helping to find an appropriate venue and for supplying refreshments. And without question, I would like to thank all of the participants who came to the training session for their ongoing support!

What’s next?

Presently, the biological survey group is preparing to hit the field. Under the leadership of Vincent Zelazny, this group will be mapping the OTO project site and evaluating the ecological needs of this area. With great pleasure I would like to welcome André Lévesque to the biological survey group. André is a GIS Student in the post-diploma program, NBCC Moncton. He will be creating a series of overlay maps of the different aspects of the OTO project area. We are absolutely thrilled to have André on board!

André Lévesque

Welcome André!

Somewhere that’s green

There is a danger these days of true intentioned ecologically-sensitive projects being lumped in with the ‘Walmart biodegradable, eco-friendly, disposable garbage can liners’. Everyone, it would seem, wants to put ‘Green’, ‘Sustainable’, ‘Bio-Degradable’ and ‘Eco-Friendly’ on their products whether or not there is any evidence to support it. There is equally a possibility of such false claims flooding the market and turning an important social movement into a cliché. I already find the word ‘Green’ to be a cliché.

What I’m interested in learning about are the values that live within these catch all phrases?

How are we actually interested in living our lives? If we strip off all of the competitive crap that seems to go a long with making a change in life we are left with our actual value system. I know personally that some things that I possibly ’shouldn’t’. Or I should consider these values obsolete.

For instance, I love taking long hot baths. I can admit it. I probably shouldn’t take a long hot bath every night. It is very wasteful. Likewise, I probably shouldn’t drink beer every day. But I do. Should I therefore pretend that this isn’t true? Shall I keep it in my dark, secret, closet of hypocrisy? Are these Eco-taboos of any use? I see them every day. People coyly admitting that ‘well they really shouldn’t… but they do’. I see absolutely no value in this fear. I mean I can respect the fear. But I don’t respect behavior that perpetuates the continuation of our societies need to hide from itself.

I’m interested in creating an environment where people can make some significant tangible changes without feeling that they are being scrutinised by their neighbours. These changes may seem minuscule or enormous but they are all important.

A family that commits to composting not only reaps the benefits of healthier soil, it gains a new status quo. Children growing up in these families will believe this to be absolutely normal. They will see a connection between what they eat and the earth that it comes from. One family composting is not going to ‘change the world’ as we often like to say. But is it true? Everything (positive or negative) changes the world.

I have only my life to change.

I will make it exactly the way that I want it to be.

On Wednesday September the 3rd, About 40 young students from UNB’s Forestry and Environmental management department came out to the One Tree Orchard as part of their fall field trip. UNB has kindly offered to allow their students to work with our project as part of their studies. This partnership offers some fabulous ‘real-world’ opportunities for students as they will be working first hand at creating a very new type of forestry management at the One Tree Orchard. Without a doubt, it also offers to the project a wealth of new talent and strengths.  We are thrilled to have you aboard!

It was so fabulous to see so many people walking through the grounds of our project area. The students were very intelligent and asked many difficult and provocative questions!  A great word of thanks goes out to Tom Beckley and Shawn Dalton and to the students for coming.   My thanks go also to Yolanda Spithoven of the UNB department of Forestry and Environmental Management for having organised their visit with us.

From One Tree Orchard

On Tuesday August 26, the One Tree Orchard project team including new distinguished partners went for a walking tour of the project site (A.K.A. my backyard). I am absolutely thrilled and grateful to these new partners. This project has recently received sponsorship as well as partnership from many new and exciting agencies.  It is so thrilling to now be able to announce that our list of partners now includes:

• The Department of the Environment
• The Department of Health
• The Rural District Planning Commission
• The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation
• The Association of Municipal Administrators of New Brunswick
• The Conservation Council of New Brunswick
• The Environment and Sustainable Development Research Centre (UNB)
• The Department of Forestry (UNB)
• Efficiency New Brunswick

The list seems to be growing daily! It can’t express through words how absolutely fantastic it is to work with these individuals and organizations. All of whom have brought a great deal of time and expertise to this project.

So,  off we went an a fabulous walkabout!

As we leave my driveway to go explore the project site Vince Zelazny, our forestry and biology expert explains some of the natural features of the project site.

Up beside the old pine farm, Marcelle Thibodeau (RDPC), Miles Dibble (UNB), Tom Beckley (FEM UNB), Alex Murdoch (DOH), Daniel Savard (ENV), Vince and I walk and discuss some exciting possibilities.

Down at the MacIntosh Brook, it looks like the beavers have been hard at work.

Thank you to all who came out to the first of many walkabouts of the One Tree Orchard Sustainable Community project site!

If you are interested in partnering with this new project in sustainability Please contact alex@onetreeorchard(NOSPAM).ca, I would love to talk to you about this subdivision project.

(please remove (NOSPAM) from the email address.

.

Below is a clip from www.elements.nb.ca on sustainable community design. My thanks go out to the publisher, Daniel Savard, for permission to use his valuable material.

In the quest for sustainable communities, organizations and jurisdictions are looking at ways to achieve provincial, regional, and local goals for land development, considering principles of “Smart Growth”, “New Urbanism”, and “Sustainable Communities”. In addition, developers are expecting profits and communities are trying to protect their natural environment. Are these goals compatible?
Conventional subdivision development does not always achieve these various goals. With conventional development, land is subdivided into residential lots and streets with only un-developable land being preserved as open space. Most natural areas are cleared, graded, and planted with non-native vegetation. Stormwater is viewed as something to get rid of, rather than something to be managed. Finally, there are minimal opportunities for community life.

Conventional Design

Conservation Design for subdivisions (also known as ‘Sustainable Community Design’ or SCD in New Brunswick), is an innovative concept that meets most sustainability objectives. While popular in the United States, the concept of Conservation Design is practically unknown in Canada. The main characteristic of Conservation Design is that about 50% of the build-able area in a proposed subdivision is preserved, in addition to normal environmental constraints such as flood plains, wetlands, and endangered species areas. A subdivision designed according to Conservation Design principles has been characterized as being a “golf course subdivision,” but without the golf course, which is replaced by a conservation area.

Conservation Design

According to Arendt’s Conservation Design for Subdivisions (1996), “The basic steps involved in the designing of residential developments…[are to] maximize open space conservation without reducing overall building density.” The implementation of this concept creates many opportunities and meets objectives regarding the reduction of greenhouse gases and action against climate change. However, the concept must be tailored to the local context and provincial jurisdiction.

In New Brunswick, the province, in partnership with the City of Dieppe, and Charles Poirier, a local developer teamed up to implement the concept in the project known as “Le village en haut du ruisseau” (”The Village at the Top of the Stream”). The team “…took the initiative to pilot Arendt’s approach in a growing area in order to promote not just an enhanced tax base, but to achieve social and environmental benefits as well.” In this regard, the planning community in Canada perceives New Brunswick and Dieppe as leading the pack when applying sustainable community development principles to subdivision design.

This property is located close to Dieppe’s downtown area in a zone where there is pressure to develop. The area is about 10 hectares and is zoned for low density development (about five units for the whole property). However, the City wanted revenue from the residential subdivision to pay for the services and expenditures it would create. Possible options were developed through multiple partners including the School of Planning at Dalhousie University, Groupe Littoral et Vie from Université de Moncton, NB Community College, and Grade 7 students at Anna Malenfant School. The options explored through these partnerships enabled the number of units to be increased to 100 while protecting 63% of the property as green space.

So far in the planning phase, the objectives and the general design of the subdivision have been determined. Possible innovations with the approach are numerous. For example, the project used a “traffic light colours” analogy to determine where development will occur. The project will include best management practices for stormwater management. Furthermore, students from Anna Malenfant School have contributed by presenting to City Council their design for an ecological park in the natural areas, and the ways for future residents to deal with mosquitoes on the site (i.e., the introduction of dragonfly larvae, frogs’ eggs, and bats, and the construction of bird houses to keep the mosquito population at check).

The project used traffic light colours on maps to determine where development could occur.
(Diagrams: Daniel Savard)

The Dieppe project is moving toward the implementation phase, including possible adjustment of local by-laws. It is expected that in 2007, the first residents will live in this subdivision in Dieppe. This showcase will help encourage its use in other communities in the Province.

When people first hear about the conservation design concept for subdivisions, they are often skeptical. They believe the approach will cost more, or that the unknowns will be prohibitive. In regard to cost, research in Delaware has shown that the cost per lot for infrastructure (including stormwater management) for a 142-lot subdivision from $17,325 per lot for conventional to $6,259 per lot with conservation design. Conservation design for subdivisions does not have a hidden agenda because all aspects of the project (i.e., geography, biology, history, culture, economy, and social components) are considered and presented to the City Council and the public. The biggest obstacles to implementation of Conservation Design concepts in New Brunswick are that it is practically unknown and there are not yet concrete examples in New Brunswick (and very few in the rest of the country), and that it takes time to ‘do the job right.’ Furthermore, developers must understand the characteristics of their sites and municipalities may have to adjust by-laws to implement the concept. Finally, developers and professionals in site development need to overcome the tendency to repeat old inappropriate patterns and explore new opportunities to build sustainable communities.

Conservation Design for subdivision is a concept that requires education for all stakeholders and partners. The entire team has to understand and agree on basic principles before implementation. Therefore, the Sustainable Planning Branch of the New Brunswick Department of Environment has developed a one-day training module that explains the concept and its implementation. Without this training and a committed team, implementation is unlikely to happen.

For more information:

Contact Daniel Savard, Senior Planner, Sustainable Planning Branch, New Brunswick Department of Environment at 506-444-4391 or daniel.savard@gnb.ca.

Visit the Dieppe Development Website

For more information please check out this powerpoint presentation on
Sustainable Community Design

The One Tree Orchard Site is located at the 3000 ‘block’ of the Woodstock rd. (Route 102 Hwy), IslandView. We are found immediately as you leave the official city limits of Fredericton on route to Mactaquac. Within 8 Km of downtown Fredericton, the One Tree Orchard is excellently located for fabulously new and exciting community development!

The One Tree Orchard Project is now in full effect.  I am pleased to announce that the One Tree Orchard is now officially in partnership with the New Brunswick Department of Environment.  The Department of Environment has serendipitously created a very fine response to the ‘ Climate Change Action Plan’.  They have created a new form of subdivision design.  They have already found a developer in Dieppe who has agreed to allow his subdivision be an urban showcase of their design.  What they have lacked until now is a rural showcase. I am proud to announce that th One Tree Orchard will be this showcase project for the Department of Environment.  With the support of Daniel Savard ,Head Planner of the DOE, we have begun creating a ‘DreamTeam’ of industry and government professionals to bring this project together.  I am so thrilled by this new partnership!

At our preliminary ‘DreamTeam’ meeting, we had members from the Dept. of Health, 6 folks from Dept of Env., members from UNB, a member representing Rural District Planning Commission, and a member from Community Planning Commission.  Things are getting very exciting!

I am currently in the process of creating some subgroups to tackle some specific issues.  These groups in no particular order are:

• Biological Survey;
• Subdivision Layout and Design;
• Housing Design;
• Clustered Home Heating:
• Clustered Energy Collection and Disbursement;
• Clustered Well Systems;
• Clustered Wastewater treatment;
• Green Community Centre/Sustainable Design Education Centre Creation and Financing;
• Ecological Park Design and Financing;
• Trail System Design and Financing;
• Neighbourhood Partnering and Refugee Support;
• Wetland Creation;

This list of groups and tasks is of course very overwhelming!  Any volunteers?